Recently we had a chance to photograph a wedding of a wonderful couple whose ceremony took place at the breathtaking Stanford Memorial Church. Lily and Gavin both went to this university and this venue was definitely meaningful.

Lily’s mom’s dedication and help with the wedding day was difficult not to notice. Among everything else, she made both of Lily’s dresses (white as well as the traditional Chinese) and also the beautiful flower arrangements. Both of the families as well as the bridal party were key in orchestrating this great celebration.

The reception took place at the elegant Tai Pan restaurant in Palo Alto. Lily and Gavin met in Yosemite and among the highlights of the evening was a truly unique wedding cake which had trees, bears, squirrels and a waterfall.

Here the bride and groom were playing the game of biting a grape off of a string:

We’re very happy for this awesome couple and hope they’re having a blast on their honeymoon!

Mike and Natasha

A couple of weekends ago we photographed the beautiful wedding of Sveta and Slava. We met this couple through a referral and it turns out that Slava does a bit of professional shooting himself. We are glad to get to know this cool couple much better.

Most of the wedding day, including the ceremony and the reception, took place at Temple Emanu-El. We had a blast working at this venue for our second time in a few months and are really getting to know this spot.

For our photo shoot, we took the bridal party to the Palace of Fine Arts and also to the Hills Bros. historic building on the Embarcadero.

Following the Chuppah ceremony, guests and newlyweds proceeded directly to the reception. The room was exquisitely decorated, a live band provided the music, and a simply fabulous evening was had by all.

Congratulations Sveta and Slava! We’re glad to have shared this evening with you.

Click here to see their engagement photos.

Mike

Mahshad and Brad tied the knot at Piedmont Community Hall at the end of July. We were happy to come back to this beautiful venue for our second time this summer. In the morning, when we came to Mahshad’s room, she was happily preparing sandwiches for her family and friends. The smile never left her face and the day was really just flawless.

I immediately fell in love with their doggy Foxy who proudly marched down the isle at the beginning of the ceremony.

The guys looking handsome:

Following an American ceremony it was time for a traditional Persian ceremony. We were looking forward to this for a long time and it was totally worth it! I was moved by the beauty and rich traditions of this culture.

Every item used in the ceremony symbolized a different aspect of the ancient traditions: there was a mirror and candles for purity, coins to represent wealth, honey and crystallized sugar to sweeten life, flowers for beauty, and a basket of decorated eggs to symbolize fertility. Again I thought how lucky we are to live in the Bay Area among so many different cultures.

Here we had just a few moments with the bride and groom:

The evening had yummmy Shish Kebabs, toasts and lots of music and dancing. It was a beautiful outdoor reception.

Congratulations to Mahshad and Brad! We’re very happy for you guys.

This couple’s Engagement photos can be seen here.

Natasha and Mike

We always joke that we never know when we might meet a new client. Sometime this winter Mozhenna recognized Mike while we happened to be leaving a restaurant. They know each other from college but haven’t seen each other since. When Mike told Mozhenna that he’s a wedding photographer, she said that she actually recently got engaged and introduced us to Sergey.

On the Saturday of the wedding we met Mozhenna at her parents’ place as she was getting ready. We came just in time to see Mozhenna putting on her gorgeous wedding dress and the final touches of makeup. She was not the least bit worried and didn’t stop glowing or smiling the entire day.

Sergey was preparing as well:

This couple allowed lots of time for everything in order to have a happy and stress-free day. We were really happy about it because the extra time really allowed us to get creative. Sergey and Mozhenna were up for almost anything…

One cute moment was when we were at the Arboretum in Golden Gate park and a little girl just froze as she pointed at Mozhenna and announced: “Look mommy, it’s a Princess!”

The ceremony and reception were both held at Russia House where Mozhenna’s brother Misha was also wed 13 years ago. There was an abundance of pastries and fruits and the desert table was topped with a surprise for the newlyweds: a heart-shaped ice sculpture with Mozhenna and Sergey’s names written on it.

Who could’ve guess this could be made out of a watermelon:

Enjoy your honeymoon guys! Thank you for sharing this wonderful day.

Click here for their Lincoln Park engagement photos.

Natasha